Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

the tail light bulb is programmed that if the stop light filament burns out, the tail light bulb gets more amps or wattage to make it brighter when the brakes are applied. That is why you think that the lamp is working when in fact it is not. The warning light is telling you that. Change the tail/stop light bulb and you should be to go.

R1150RT Warning Light On

Thanks to all who responded. PICINISCO hit it right on! The smaller of the "stop light" bulbs had indeed burnt out, leaving the larger bulb above it to take up the slack. From a safety stand point, how awesome is it that BMW thought to make this happen! This was an easy replacement. Undo the two thumb screws under the pillion seat and the entire rear light cluster came out as a unit. Simple! Again, thanks for your help.

Highjacking the tread! My 04 RT is doing the same thing but I changed all of the rear brake lights and running lights and I still have the General Warning light on 24/7. weird thing was that it came on after I got my new tires installed, any connection?

Highjacking the tread! My 04 RT is doing the same thing but I changed all of the rear brake lights and running lights and I still have the General Warning light on 24/7. weird thing was that it came on after I got my new tires installed, any connection?

I'm not sure whether any of you have been having this problem, but now that I've removed my brake and tail light assembly a few times, the plastic nuts will vibrate loose and the light will hang down by its wires.

Solution I tried today was a little blue Loctite on the threads. It seems to be staying on now, but the real confirmation of how smart this solution is will be when I need to take it off again.

I never go more than a month or two without my warning light coming on. I replace the brake bulb. It goes away for a while. I got to work one day and found the whole brake assembly hanging from the wires. At first I thought I'd forgotten to put the thumbscrews back on, but they'd just vibrated loose over the course of 100 miles or so.

Loctite is not compatible with some plastics: they will become brittle.
I don't know if that specifically applies to the thumbscrews and/or the taillight housing, so I use a dab of silicone sealer instead. Works great, you don't have to "over"-tighten them, and it comes apart when you want it to.

BRAVO! 2000 r1100rt

Your posts are superb...I was about to loctite bulb housing threads and GS mirrors that I added to my rt, the left of which, even with a lock washer, never stays in place. I shall use the silicone! Many thanks.

Yesterday, I decided to pick up OEM bulbs, instead of the silverstar auto bulbs I'd been using. I was convinced (from folks following me and telling me they could barely see my taillight) that an OEM bulb was either generally brighter or a higher wattage than what I've always used. I learned two things a) the parts manager at the dealership thinks that there are two taillight bulbs (separate from the brake light bulb), and that the tiny lower bulb, 10W IIRC, is only for the license plate. He almost had me convinced, even though I knew better. Zero visible difference between the ones from autozone and the ones from the BMW shop. Longevity (no pun intended) is yet to be determined.

Loctite is not compatible with some plastics: they will become brittle.
I don't know if that specifically applies to the thumbscrews and/or the taillight housing, so I use a dab of silicone sealer instead. Works great, you don't have to "over"-tighten them, and it comes apart when you want it to.

i believe that if you look closely at those plastic thumbscrews you will find a threaded metal insert inside it, providing direct metal to metal contact to housing threads- blue loctite is perfect.

Yesterday, I decided to pick up OEM bulbs, instead of the silverstar auto bulbs I'd been using. I was convinced (from folks following me and telling me they could barely see my taillight) that an OEM bulb was either generally brighter or a higher wattage than what I've always used. I learned two things a) the parts manager at the dealership thinks that there are two taillight bulbs (separate from the brake light bulb), and that the tiny lower bulb, 10W IIRC, is only for the license plate. He almost had me convinced, even though I knew better. Zero visible difference between the ones from autozone and the ones from the BMW shop. Longevity (no pun intended) is yet to be determined.

i believe this goes under the heading of... just like oil, BMW does not make bulbs, they just sell them. so does Autozone, and a million other autoparts stores.